Various massaging tecnhiques are used as a function of the treatments to be undergone. In general, massaging operations involve subjecting the patient to stresses such as pressure, and/or displacements and/or pinchings.
Various types of equipment have been proposed up to now to simplify the work of physiotherapists, such as for example by Swiss Pat. No. 168279 and by U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,024. In general such equipment exerts on the body an action of pressure, of displacement, of friction by vibrations, suction, etc.
Recently, in French Patent Applications Nos. 85 04 245 (Publication No. 2 579 100) and 85 17 026 (Publication No. 2 589 726), the letter corresponding to U.S. patent application No. 4,729,368, the Applicant has proposed improved massage apparatus for carrying out, simply and efficiently, "rolled palpation" type massages in which the patient is subjected to a continuous action which causes not only a localized pinching but also a progressive displacement of the pinched zone so as to cause a "roll", and this while exerting a pressure. In general, the apparatus described in said patent applications are essentially constituted of two rollers mounted in a housing according to parallel axes, the periphery of the rollers drawing a tangent with the lower face of the housing, one of the rollers being preferably driven positively in rotation, and said housing being connected with means for creating a vacuum above said rollers.
In order to pinch the skin, said rollers are mounted in the housing in such a way that they can be moved apart or closer to each other so as to perform a pinching action on the formed fold of skin.
Said apparatus give very good results, nevertheless they imply the use of means for achieving tightness during the displacements of rollers.